Fluent material dispenser



Dec.23, 1969 w. v, TAYLOR 3,485,419

FLUENT MATERIAL DISPENSER Filed Jan. 30, 1968 INVENTOR WILFRED V. TAYLOR ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,485,419 FLUENT MATERIAL DISPENSER Wilfred V. Taylor, 3 Warrowa Ave., Pymble, New South Wales, Australia Filed Jan. 30, 1968, Ser. No. 701,697 Int. Cl. G01f 11/28; B6711 /42; F04b 21/02 U.S. 'Cl. 222-340 18 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A fluent material dispenser having a barrel including an inner lining sleeve resistant to the material dispensed; a combination adapter and valve insert located in the inlet end of the barrel engaged on the upper end of the lining sleeve; dual nipple valves located in the outlet end of the barrel with the lower end of the lining sleeve engaged on the upper outlet nipple valve, a piston cylinder projecting from the barrel and having a piston bearing sleeve communicating with the interior of the lining sleeve through an opening in the latter, and a spring loaded piston received in the bearing sleeve for pumping fluent material from the inlet valve through the outlet valves.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION This invention relates to fluent material dispensers such as that shown in my United States Patent 3,258,175 issued June 28, 1966, and more specifically, the present invention relates to improvements in such dispensers. Although the improved dispenser of the present invention is uniquely suited for dispensing toothpaste from a conventional toothpaste tube, it should be understood that the present invention has equal applicability else- Where.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide improvements for dispensers of the type shown in my above identified patent, from the standpoints of operability, maintenance and durability.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved dispenser which may be employed to dispense materials such as toothpaste and yet will not be adversely effected by chemical or other reaction between the toothpaste and the material from which the internal dispenser parts are made. Included herein is the provision of such a dispenser which incorporates internal liners that will not be readily decomposed by materials such as toothpaste.

A further object is to provide a novel combination adapter and valve insert which may be employed in a dispenser of the aforedescribed type to receive a container such as a toothpaste tube while at the same time forming an inlet valve into the dispenser from the tube.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a novel piston and cylinder assembly employed in the dispenser to pump fluent material therefrom.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide an improved dispenser which will achieve the above objects in a structure that may be economically manufactured and assembled in mass production and with the use of common plastic materials.

In one embodiment, the above objects are achieved -by a dispenser including a one piece plastic body or casing which has a flanged projection that may be secured such as by bonding to a wall in a bathroom for example. The casing further includes a barrel having inlet and outlet ends for receiving and discharging fluent material, and a piston cylinder projecting from the barrel between its ends. A spring loaded piston and plunger assembly is received in the cylinder to pump the fluent material through the inlet and outlet ends of the barrel.

3,485,419 Patented Dec. 23, 1969 ice In the outlet end of the barrel, a pair of resilient, deformable nipple type valves are installed in overlying series relationship, and above these valves a liner sleeve is inserted in the barrel so that the casing is protected from the fluent material being dispensed. Above the liner sleeve in the inlet end of the barrel there is a combination adapter and valve insert formed from resilient deformable material and including a lower nipple-type valve member and an upper cylindrical adapter dimensioned to receive the outlet nozzle of a container such as a toothpaste tube. The insert is provided with an external flange and a pair of shoulders which are received on corresponding portions of the barrel and liner sleeve to properly locate and secure the insert.

To maintain the proper dimensions while protecting the casing against decomposition or corrosion caused 'by the material being dispensed, another liner sleeve is permanently fixed in the cylinder and it extends to the barrel liner where it communicates with the interior of the barrel liner through an opening in the latter.

The piston and plunger assembly includes a plunger having a pressure ring slidable on its periphery and a compression spring located about the plunger with one end bearing against the pressure ring and the opposite end bearing against a push button fixed to the outer extremity of the plunger. The piston is fixed to the inner end of the plunger and includes a pair of spaced disc-like members with an O-ring received therebetween. The O-ring has an external diameter sufliciently greater than the internal diameter of the cylinder liner so that a tight fit is obtained. This maintains the plunger and piston in place in the cylinder while at the same time permitting the desired piston movement for pumping the fluent material from the dispenser. When assembled, the spring urges the pressure ring against the outer end of the cylinder liner with the piston being received in the cylinder liner.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following more detailed description taken in conjunction with the attached drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an improved dispenser constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken longitudinally through the dispenser of FIG. 1 with a portion broken away; and

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of removable internal parts included in the dispenser.

Detailed description Referring now to the drawings in detail, the illustrated embodiment is particularly suitable for dispensing toothpaste or the like and comprises a rigid one-piece casing 1 including a barrel 5 having a flange projection 6 which may be fastened such as by an adhesive to a bathroom wall with the barrel 5 spaced from the wall and with the bore or passage 7 of the barrel disposed vertically. The

casing may be formed from any suitable plastic material.

Integrally projecting generally at right angles from the. barrel is a cylinder 8 having a bore or passage 9 dimensioned to receive a piston and plunger assembly generally designated 10. The intermediate portion of the barrel bore 7 is provided with a protective liner sleeve 12 made from a long wearing resistant material such as nylon or copolymer plastic. In the specific embodiment shown, liner sleeve 12 has an inverted. frusto conical external shape and the portion of the barrel bore which receives it is correspondingly slightly tapered as shown in FIG. 2.

Similar to barrel sleeve 12, the cylinder bore is provided with a piston bearing sleeve 14 which also may be formed from nylon or copolymer plastic. Bearing sleeve 14 terminates at its inner end at the barrel sleeve which is provided with a circular opening 16 for communicating the interior of sleeve 12 with the passage 18 of the bearing sleeve. Bearing sleeve 14 is permanently fixed in the cylinder bore preferably by molding cylinder 8 about sleeve 14.

At the lower end or outlet end of barrel there is provided in series, a pair of overlying outlet valves 20, 22 of the resilient, deformable nipple-type. Outlet vaves 20, 22 have central semi-spherical nipple portions 24, 26 provided with normally closed valving slits 28. When assembled nipple portion 24 of the upper valve is partly received within nipple portion 26 of the lower valve 22 in coaxial alignment. Nipple valves 20, 22 have on their ends annular mounting flanges 30, 32 which engages each other in overlying relation with the flange 32 of the lower valve engaged against the bottom or outlet portion 34 of the barrel and the flange of the upper valve engaged against the lower end of barrel sleeve 12 as shown in FIG. 2.

In the upper or inlet end of the barrel there is a combination adapter and valve insert generally designated 40. Insert preferably has an integral one piece molded construction formed from a suitable resilient, deformable rubber or plastic material and includes a lower semispherical valve portion 42 consisting of a nipple type valve member having a valving slit 44. The hemispherical portion of the valve 42 projects into the upper end of barrel sleeve 12 in coaxial alignment with the latter and with the lower outlet valves.

The upper portion 46 of insert 40 forms an adapter for receiving the outlet nozzle of a container such as a toothpaste tube to support the latter in coaxial relation with the inlet and outlet valves. Adapter 46 has a generally cylindrical shape the internal diameter of which is dimensioned to receive the container nozzle which abuts against an annular internal shoulder 48 formed adjacent the inlet valve 42.

In order to locate and secure insert 40 in place in the barrel, an annular flange 50 is formed on the external periphery of adapter 46 to be received in a corresponding annular recess or groove 52 formed in the inlet end of the barrel. Flange 50 prevents removal of insert 40 when a container is removed from the insert. Additionally, flange 50 establishes an air tight seal when the nozzle of a container is secured in the insert. To facilitate assembly of insert 40, the bottom portion of flange 50 is tapered. Additionally, a pair of concentric shoulders 54, 56 are formed on the external wall of the insert below flange 50. Shoulder 54 is received on a corresponding shoulder 58 formed in the barrel bore while the lower shoulder 56 engages on the upper end of barrel liner sleeve 12 as shown in FIG. 2.

To assemble the barrel parts, outlet valves 20, 22 are first placed in overlying relationship and then inserted through the inlet end of the barrel bore until flange 32 of the lower outlet valve engages against the bottom portion 34 of the barrel. Liner sleeve 12 is then inserted through the inlet of the barrel until it engages flange 30 of the upper outlet valve. Finally, insert 40 is installed in proper position by inserting it through the barrel inlet making sure that flange 50 is received in groove 52 of the barrel. To disassemble the barrel parts, the above steps are merely reversed.

The piston and plunger assembly includes a plunger shaft 60 having its outer extremity fixed in a typical pushbutton 62 which has a skirt 64 that slides over cylinder extension 8a. The piston is located at the inner extremity of the plunger and includes a pair of spaced disc like members 66 centrally fixed to plunger 60 to receive therebetween a resilient deformable annular member preferably an O-ring 68 as shown.

O-ring 68 has an external diameter sufliciently greater than the internal diameter of cylinder sleeve 14 so that there is a tight fit between the piston and the cylinder sleeve. This operates to maintain the piston and plunger in place in the cylinder sleeve 14 while at the same time permitting the piston to be moved in the cylinder sleeve to accomplish the pumping function. Preferably the plunger 60 and disc members 66 are formed from plastic material.

The plunger is spring loaded by means of a compression spring 70 located about the plunger with its outer end engaged against push button 62 and its inner end engaged about a pressure ring 72 slidably received around the plunger. When installed, pressure ring 72 is forced and retained by spring 70 against the outer end of cylinder sleeve 14 with the innermost disc member 66 engaged against pressure ring 72 when the spring is relaxed as shown in FIG. 2. To disassemble the piston and plunger assembly the push button is grasped and pulled outwardly to remove the piston and plunger from the cylinder. To restore the piston and plunger, the piston head is inserted in the cylinder and forced in compressing the O-ring until pressure ring 72 engages against the outer end of cylinder sleeve 14. The friction between the O-ring 68 and the cylinder sleeve will maintain the piston and plunger in the proper operative position. However, wear on the interior surface of sleeve 14 by virtue of the contact from disc members 66 and O-ring 68 will be minimized because of the nylon-like material of the sleeve so that the proper pumping action of the piston assembly will be maintained over long periods of use.

Modifications and adaptations of the present invention readily apparent from the foregoing description and associated drawings, although not specifically mentioned herein, will nevertheless be included within the scope of the persent invention as indicated in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A dispenser for fluid materials comprising in combination; a barrel having an inlet end and an outlet end and a fluent material passage extending between the inlet and outlet ends, inlet and outlet valve means located respectively in the inlet and outlet ends of said barrel, said fluent material passage having an inverted frustoconical portion, a first sleeve located in said inverted frusto-conical portion of said fluent material passage between said inlet and outlet valve means to receive fluent material discharged from the inlet valve means and to convey it to said outlet valve means, said sleeve being formed from plastic material resistant to the fluid material dispensed and having a generally inverted frustoconical shape corresponding to the shape of said frustoconical passage portion, said sleeve resting freely in said frusto-conical passage portion without positive connection thereto and being axially removable from said frustoconical passage portion, a cylinder projecting from the barrel and having a piston receiving passage communicating with the passage of said barrel, said sleeve having an opening in a portion of its wall aligned with the piston receiving passage, and a piston means in said cylinder passage for pumping fluent material from the first valve means into the interior of the sleeve and then through the second valve means for dispensing.

2. The dispenser defined in claim 1 further including a piston bearing sleeve fixed in said cylinder passage with said piston means received in said bearing sleeve, said bearing sleeve extending to and being in alignment with the opening in said barrel sleeve.

3. The dispenser defined in claim 2 wherein said piston means includes a piston head having a radially deformable annular resilient portion which when unstressed has a larger diameter than the diameter of said piston receiving passage such that it is in tight engagement with the inner wall surface of said bearing sleeve to maintain the piston head in the bearing sleeve against inadvertent removal while permitting movement of the piston in the bearing sleeve for pumping.

4. The dispenser defined in claim 3 wherein said annular resilient portion on the piston head is an O-ring.

5. The dispenser defined in claim 1 wherein said outlet valve means includes a nipple-type valve member ineluding an outwardly extending annular flange received in said passage of the barrel with the lower end of said barrel sleeve in engagement on said flange.

'6. The dispenser defined in claim 5 wherein said inlet valve means includes a nipple-type valve member extending into the top end of said sleeve and having a valving slit, said inlet valve member having an annular shoulder resting on the top end of said sleeve.

7. A dispenser for fluent materials comprising in combination; a barrel having an inlet end and an outlet end and a fluent material passage extending between the inlet and outlet ends, inlet and outlet valve means located respectively in the inlet and outlet ends of said barrel, a first sleeve located in said passage between said inlet and outlet valve means to receive fluent material discharged from the inlet valve means and to convey it to said outlet valve means, said sleeve being formed from material which is resistant to the fluent material dispensed, a cylinder projecting from the barrel and having a piston receiving passage communicating with the passage of said barrel, said sleeve having an opening in a portion of its wall aligned with the piston receiving passage, and a piston means in said cylinder passage for pumping fluent material from the first valve means into the interior of the sleeve and then through the second valve means for dispensing, said inlet valve means including a nipple type valve member extending into the interior of said sleeve and having a normally closed valve slit, and wherein there is further included a hollow cylindrical inlet adapter formed integral with the inlet valve member and received in the inlet end of the barrel above the inlet valve member, said adapter being dimensioned to receive the outlet of a container having the fluent material to be dispensed.

8. The dispenser defined in claim 7 wherein said adapter has a radial flange intermediate its ends and wherein the barrael passage has an annular recess receiving said adapter flange.

9. The dispenser defined in claim 8 wherein said adapter has a first annular shoulder located below said flange thereof and wherein said barrel passage has a first shoulder located below said annular recess thereof receiving said first shoulder of said adapter.

10. The dispenser defined in claim 9 wherein said adapter has a second annular shoulder located below its first annular shoulder and engaged on the top end of said barrel sleeve.

11. The dispenser defined in claim 10 wherein said inlet valve member and adapter are formed from resilient, deformable material.

12. The dispenser defined in claim 2 wherein said barrel sleeve and said cylinder bearing sleeve are formed from nylon material.

13. The dispenser defined in claim 2 wherein said barrel sleeve and said cylinder bearing sleeve are formed from copolymer plastic.

14. The dispenser defined in claim 2 wherein said piston means includes a piston head received in said piston bearing sleeve, a plunger fixed to the said piston head, a pressure ring located on said plunger rearwardly of said piston head, and spring means on said plunger urging said pressure ring into engagement with the outer end of said bearing sleeve, said pressure ring having an internal diameter less than the external diameter of said piston head such that the piston head abuts against one end of said pressure ring when the piston is retracted.

15. A combination adapter and valve insert for use in a fluent material dispenser, comprising in combination, a nipple-type valve member having a normally closed valving slit, an inlet adapter having a hollow generally cylindrical construction formed integral and coaxially with saidvalve member, said adapter portion having a passage dimensioned to receive the outlet fixture of a container having fluent material to be dispensed, said adapter having an external radially projecting annular flange dimensioned to be received in a corresponding recess in an associated dispenser for positioning and securing the insert therein, said insert including the valve and adapter portions thereof being formed from resilient deformable material.

16. The insert defined in claim 15 wherein said adapter further includes first and second annular external shoulders dimensioned to be received on corresponding shoulders in an associated dispenser.

17. The insert defined in claim 15 wherein said valve member has a generally hemispherical shape with said valving slit formed in the extremity thereof and wherein said insert includes an internal shoulder formed at the inner end of said adapter passage for receiving the extremity of an outlet fixture of a container.

18. The insert defined in claim 15 wherein said annular flange has a lower tapered portion for facilitating assembly in the associated dispenser.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,138,605 1l/1938 Landis 103-228 X 2,216,890 10/1940 Phillips 222-383 X 2,545,319 3/1951 Sundholm 222-383 X 2,709,025 5/1955 Scott 222-383 X 2,734,667 2/ 1956 Conklin 222-383 X 3,059,586 10/ 1962 Brailsford 103-216 X ROBERT B. REEVES, Primary Examiner 'H. S. LANE, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

